| "It seems unbelievable that this huge project was | | | | you don't have. A handful of companies have |
| accomplished on time. I was asking a lot of you and | | | | translation departments whose structure and activity |
| you did a great job. Not only did it get done, you | | | | level mirror an agency. But chances are that you don't |
| managed to make me feel like it really could be done, | | | | schedule translations on a continuous basis; we do, and |
| which made me calm in a sea of mounting pressure | | | | that means leverage when competing for |
| from my senior management. I have realized the | | | | resources.They know which matches were made in |
| comfort of using professional services like yours. It | | | | heaven and which were not. |
| really is true that when you turn a big job over to the | | | | Translators are human, of course. They are also |
| best, you can let some of your worry go."This quote is | | | | professionals and justifiably proud of their skills, and |
| a marketer's dream-it is an actual quote from a | | | | have their own individual philosophical approaches to |
| relieved and satisfied client. Perhaps you have also | | | | their craft. They may or may not work well with |
| basked in glowing words of praise and effusive thanks | | | | others, or at least with some others. The best |
| from a translation requester in your organization. In the | | | | translator for the project and the best reviewer for the |
| interest of full disclosure, I must admit that the client | | | | project may clash on issues of word choice, style, or |
| who wrote these words is not a translation company | | | | even personality. You will likely only discover this when |
| professional.Still, her organization assigned to her the | | | | faced with pages of complete rewrites, passionate |
| task of verifying labeling and packaging for a new | | | | outbursts, and conflicting opinions. We know from |
| product in a wide range of languages for use in an | | | | experience which combinations will yield an efficient |
| even wider range of locales. The materials presented | | | | and effective review process. And in the worst-case |
| to our project management staff were an assortment | | | | scenario, we can call in any number of additional |
| of master documents and derivative documents, and | | | | consultants to serve as tiebreakers.They have access |
| the client's charge was to verify and certify the | | | | to additional resources that you don't. |
| language and content of the text prior to printing.This | | | | Again, translators are human. They can fall ill, have |
| client did not possess the familiarity or level of comfort | | | | family emergencies, or overpromise. How quickly |
| with foreign languages to either organize the project or | | | | would you be able to reassign work if one or more of |
| even identify the languages in question. Her goal was | | | | your resources dropped out of the picture? Or if the |
| quite simply to accomplish the task and move on to | | | | scope suddenly changed? An agency should have the |
| her area of expertise, which clearly did not involve | | | | resources available to ramp up and save your |
| determining that "Dutch" and "Netherlands" were a | | | | project.They can filter questions and manage the |
| language and a country, respectively, rather than a | | | | exchange of information. Tina's Law of Translation |
| language pair.If You Don't Want To Spend Your Life In | | | | states that: |
| The Salt Mines This type of client and this type of | | | | The probability and volume of translator questions, |
| situation are neither an uncommon nor an unwelcome | | | | missing and essential reference materials, and revisions |
| part of our translation business. As a project manager, | | | | to source text can be expected to increase |
| and, by extension, as a company, I take pride and | | | | exponentially with the number of translators, reviewers, |
| satisfaction in our willingness and ability to rescue such | | | | and editors working on the project. |
| clients from what can be a translation | | | | Do not underestimate the time involved in fielding |
| nightmare-uninvited, unwelcome, and frequently baffling | | | | translator questions and exchanging information. It is |
| to the person targeted for the task. The often | | | | frequently the most time-consuming part of the |
| uninitiated non-volunteer is grateful to find a vendor | | | | translation process. Apart from handling the purely |
| willing and able to provide a turnkey solution.Of course, | | | | administrative task of distributing information (which |
| I also work with many client side translation | | | | may involve midnight phone calls to Russia, knowing |
| professionals, and ultimately, I deal with clients at | | | | which courier delivers to that small town in Argentina in |
| various points of the wide spectrum in between. | | | | fewer than five days, and remembering when the |
| These client professionals deliver years of experience | | | | translator traveling in Mexico will check in at the |
| and accumulated wisdom to the translation process. | | | | cybercafe), your agency's editorial department is likely |
| The "agency question" can and does arise: if your | | | | to be able to field quite a few of the questions and |
| organization has invested resources in the training and | | | | handle judgment calls that inevitably arise.They can |
| creation of a translation department/division, or even a | | | | organize and manage your in-country review. |
| single, knowledgeable point-of-contact within your | | | | In-country reviews can go smoothly. I have seen it |
| organization, why invest additional expense in securing | | | | happen. However, experience shows that when this is |
| the services of a translation vendor?After all, having | | | | your expectation from in-country reviewers:- Do not |
| accomplished the estimable task of planning for | | | | rewrite/editorialize source text.- Use revision tracking.- |
| globalization, and preparing your product and materials | | | | Do not rename electronic files.- Do not handwrite |
| with internationalization in mind, knowing your subject | | | | revisions.- Coordinate your review with your colleagues |
| matter and knowing the market, it is basically a matter | | | | and send only one edited document.- Send a finished |
| of perusing résumés, determining field of | | | | electronic file as an email attachment, you may well |
| expertise and level of experience, then going forward | | | | receive:- Six additional paragraphs of translated text |
| with the translation step. Right?It depends. While there | | | | that do not correspond to the source text- A rewritten |
| are certainly cases and scenarios where these | | | | document with no change tracking- A file named |
| assumptions may hold true, these assumptions may | | | | DOCUMENT.DOC with no indication of the language |
| deserve examination, and I strongly recommend that | | | | locale of the sender- Several blotchy faxed pages |
| such examination include the following factors.You | | | | with microscopically small handwritten comments- |
| Already Have A Job, Don't You? Whether | | | | Two, or possibly three, separate emails from different |
| internationalization/translation is your full-time profession | | | | individuals in Spain, all of whom disagree with the |
| or one responsibility among many, your involvement in | | | | others' changes- A text-format email written in the |
| the translation process may range from a charged | | | | target language, lacking accents, and containing a |
| responsibility to an informed participant; in either case, | | | | general critique of quality with no specific |
| you represent the resource within your organization. | | | | suggestionsThis is the moment when you may find |
| Getting the job done demands your commitment to | | | | yourself wishing that you had partnered with an |
| your company, your product, and the consuming | | | | agency. Exactly how much of your time did you allot |
| community as a whole. A great many meaningful, | | | | to the tasks associated with in-country review? It |
| productive, and cost-saving activities occur under your | | | | probably wasn't enough. Almost no one who isn't a |
| watch. Whether you are a project manager, | | | | full-time translation manager has that kind of time. Had |
| department head, or committed advocate for global | | | | you seen this coming, wouldn't you have issued clearer |
| access, you are engaged in a process that is difficult, | | | | instructions rather than assuming that your reviewers |
| often involves minimal buy-in from your corporation, | | | | would present their comments clearly and logically? It is |
| and is the key to efficient and cost-effective | | | | part of my job to warn you before it's too late. And |
| globalization.I am familiar with the specific tasks that | | | | after it's too late, I can assist you in untangling the |
| confront you as a team lead or project manager in the | | | | mess.They have access to tools and experience using |
| internationalization realm. My knowledge base and | | | | them. |
| suggestions stem from my experiences within one | | | | I am not a translator, I am a project manager. As |
| translation and translation firm since 1987. My position | | | | such, I use translation tools but am not in any way a |
| as a translation/translation project manager is | | | | master craftsman. What I do have access to, |
| undeniably full-time. The trips around the block have | | | | however, is an in-house translation tool specialist, who |
| been many, and I've probably already faced all of the | | | | is charged with bridging the gap between my theory |
| obstacles you might. I submit that you have better | | | | and the translators' practice, has developed an ongoing |
| things to do with your time, and offer the following | | | | relationship with the product support staff, and helps |
| overview of some of the issues, ranging from | | | | ensure that the tool is utilized properly and that any |
| challenges to downright tedium, that are a daily part of | | | | problems can be quickly and efficiently solved.They |
| my job.A Critical EyeAnd A Good Sense Of Humor | | | | have translation-savvy graphic arts professionals on |
| Well before your project reaches a translator's hands, I | | | | site. |
| am charged with being your second set of eyes. In this | | | | Practitioners of multilingual desktop publishing occupy |
| phase of the project, my goal is to avoid | | | | an important niche in the graphic arts industry, and |
| misunderstandings, ambiguity, and the accompanying | | | | deservedly so. The graphic challenges inherent in text |
| administrative and accounting nightmares by examining | | | | expansion, font support, varying operating systems, |
| your materials and your project goals.Since you | | | | and culturally appropriate graphics are beyond the |
| probably live with your project and the associated | | | | experience of most art departments. Having such |
| product at least eight hours a day, you know perfectly | | | | professionals on board and available during the planning |
| well that the topic at hand is a digital imaging system, | | | | and execution of the project can make the difference |
| or a bone density scanner. I'm not a printer, medical | | | | between a successful project and one that fails to |
| technician, or technical translator, but if I encounter text | | | | deliver. These professionals have the experience to |
| such as:Lift Arm (A) above Head (B) and discharge | | | | ask the right questions so that your end user will be |
| excess fluid | | | | able to view and use the finished product, and they will |
| and I don't have a visual or textual explanation of | | | | provide post-delivery support to ensure that this is the |
| what that means, I will be calling to ask you what it | | | | case. They will also know that simply checking to be |
| means (and to remove some rather disturbing images | | | | sure that Arabic reads from right to left does not |
| from my mind).Similarly, if I hear you say: | | | | mean that it is displaying correctly. Would your graphics |
| I need this Quark documentation translated into | | | | department know that?They have editorial resources |
| Japanese with delivery as PDF, but I don't have | | | | who are familiar with your subject matter and trained |
| approval on the photos and am chasing down the | | | | to detect problems in target language text. |
| bylines and will be back from a conference in time to | | | | Your translation provider will have an editorial staff |
| submit the final changes. then I am likely to recommend | | | | trained in the stylistic conventions of target language |
| that you consider EPS outlines placed in your Quark | | | | text and in reviewing such text for omissions and |
| source file as a more flexible alternative.It is also my | | | | additions. Your English-speaking proofreaders and |
| job to explore the assumptions brought to the project. | | | | editors may introduce errors into a finished product by |
| Let's say your source files are in Application X but | | | | removing spaces before colons in a French translation, |
| some of the translators you have selected for your | | | | changing the words in a Spanish subheading to initial |
| project either cannot use the application or cannot | | | | caps, or converting commas back into the source |
| meet your deadlines if they do. But you know that all | | | | decimal points.Steps to a Successful Partnership Once |
| of them have the same translation tool that you have, | | | | you have made the decision to collaborate with an |
| which allows you to extract tagged text and package | | | | agency, how should you go about selecting one? That |
| it, along with reference materials, previously translated | | | | is a separate discussion altogether, but briefly, beyond |
| material, and so on into a complete, efficient package. | | | | pricing, turnaround time, and references, it is worthwhile |
| Unfortunately, it is only after having spent your time | | | | to explore the following issues.What is included in the |
| preparing this project, setting your milestones, and | | | | price per word?Does the figure quoted include just the |
| committing to a print date that you discover that, while | | | | translation, or does it also include a review by a |
| the translators do indeed have the tool, they may have | | | | second qualified translator, project management, |
| version 3 or 4, which do not support the features | | | | editorial resources, and graphics resources?Will you be |
| included in your version 6. Or they have a version that | | | | working with someone who understands you? |
| will handle the tagged text, but only if it is extracted | | | | If you are a project manager, will there be a |
| using the previous release. The translators who do | | | | counterpart at the agency? Will they be available to |
| have the latest release have begun work, those using | | | | you on a continuing basis? Can they provide the |
| version 4 are waiting for you to reinstall the old release | | | | reporting metrics you require? What tools do they |
| on your machine and re-extract the text, and those | | | | have for project tracking and how quickly and |
| using version 3 are waiting for you to provide them | | | | effectively can they provide updates?What kind of |
| with Word files, and your project float has already | | | | post-project support is available?Your vendor should |
| been expended. You haven't even reached the point | | | | be willing and able to assist you in ensuring that the |
| where your production team faces completing the | | | | end user is satisfied with the linguistic quality, the |
| project using three separate methods. | | | | interface, and usability.How You Can Help You can |
| In short, whatever disaster you may have | | | | greatly increase the probability of a successful |
| inadvertently set your sights on, it's likely that I have | | | | partnership by providing your vendor with the |
| been through it and live to tell (you) the story and save | | | | following:- A clear picture of your project goals, |
| you from the consequences.The Heart of the Matter | | | | including how you expect to process the work, a |
| Beyond the challenges of project preparation, the | | | | definition of the end user, what resources they have |
| heart of the translation process resides with the | | | | available (operating system, font support, applications, |
| translator. Setting aside the issue of the time involved | | | | and so on), and whether you plan an in-country |
| in evaluating and selecting translators, the challenge lies | | | | review- Your hoped-for timeline, with interim milestones, |
| in developing your evaluation and selection criteria. | | | | padding for dealing with the unplanned and |
| Years of experience have taught me that every | | | | unexpected, and flexibility- Well-organized, logically |
| project is a custom project, and the weight assigned | | | | named, and clearly identified source electronic files, with |
| to any given criterion will vary per project. Some of | | | | any corresponding hard copies also neatly matched- |
| these factors include:- Accreditation or certification- | | | | Reference material, including visual references, English |
| Technical or educational background- Availability and | | | | glossaries, existing translation memories or glossaries, |
| scheduling- Ability to work within your application- | | | | manuals, and when appropriate, an English version of |
| Access to compatible translation tools- Accessibility | | | | the software being localized- Your expectations |
| (Able to use FTP? Able to receive overnight | | | | regarding project status updates and reporting, and in |
| packages? Nine hours ahead of you?)Which should | | | | what format you would prefer to receive themWhile I |
| carry the most weight? It depends. A significant | | | | welcome any client who requires my guidance to |
| advantage of using a translation company is their | | | | escape translation doom and disaster, working with the |
| access to, and experience working with, a wide range | | | | sophisticated client who nodded sagely throughout this |
| of translation professionals.What Can a Translation | | | | article is decidedly refreshing. And the bottom line is |
| Vendor Offer? They are uniquely able to determine | | | | that I know that both can benefit from developing a |
| the best translator for your project. This may | | | | relationship with a translation agency. With my project |
| sometimes mean that the agency will assume | | | | management skills and experience I personify part of |
| additional work and time to ensure that the translator | | | | the "value added" that agencies offer. But there are |
| who is best qualified for the project is assigned. For | | | | many more reasons that qualified agencies function |
| example, the very best match may not be able to | | | | far beyond the realm of translation brokers. The "value |
| work in your application, may be traveling and only | | | | added" is worth the investment for most organizations |
| reachable via cybercafes, or may not be degreed in | | | | in most scenarios. Which means I'll probably get to |
| the subject matter in question, but may have years of | | | | keep having fun in this industry for another 16 years. |
| experience in that same subject.They have clout that | | | | |